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Côtes-de-Fer
Côtes-de-Fer (Kreyol: Kòt Defè) is a commune in the Bainet Arrondissement, Sud-Est, Haiti department of Haiti. It has 33,577 inhabitants. , Haiti]] About ]] Côtes-de-Fer lies on the south-eastern coastal section of the Tiburon Peninsula, fronting the Caribbean Sea. According to the inhabitants of the commune, before 1843 Côtes-de-Fer bore the name of Boucan Pêcheur, since, before settling there, fishermen often came in the evening to rest after hard days of work. Some time later, this name was changed to "Coasts of Hell" because of the big and high waves which gave a lot of difficulties to the fishermen, either to return on the shore, or to take off. With the foundation of the city in 1843, Côtes de l'enfer became "Côtes-de-Fer" and currently contains six communal sections. The inhabitants are called Côtiférois. The urban part of the town and two of its communal sections are bathed by the sea. The rest of the town is made up of inland areas. Apart from the city which is a plain, almost all the commune is made up of hills. Its climate is considered normal. The municipality of Côtes-de-Fer has no extension zone. In particular, young people (especially) migrate to other municipalities to continue their studies and this phenomenon also causes the displacement of many parents. The population of the Côtes-de-Fer in 1998 was 53,339 inhabitants with a density of 259.32 inhabitants per km2. This population will reach 57 386 inhabitants in 2004 with a density of 276.95 inhabitants per km2. Economy Agriculture and breeding, trade, gambling, and fishing constitute the main activities of the municipality. In the area of exchange for example, the inhabitants buy their products in some communes of the South-East and sell in other communes like Port-au-Prince, Cayes etc. Although agriculture and livestock are the main activities of the municipality, the necessary supervision in this area is clearly lacking. Infrastructure Another infrastructure project currently happening in the village is a road being constructed between Côtes-de-Fer and Carrefour, route 44. President Martelly, along with First Lady Sophia, arrived on a visit to help celebrate Côtes-de-Fer's patron saint, St. Joseph's feast day. He spoke about the Côtes-de-Fer-Carrrefour #44 as another step in decentralizing the government of Haiti (GOH), by developing the island's outlying areas to function independently of the GOH. President Martelly also focused on education as one of his administration's top priorities. Education In the field of education, a school inspection office had represented the Ministry of National Education for over twelve years in the municipality. For schools, Côtes-de-Fer does not have a Kindergarten. Eleven public schools, numerous private, and a Mission School for the primary level (including pre-school) have been inventoried. At the secondary level, a total of four schools were enumerated, two public, one private and the other a Mission school. At the level of technical and vocational schools, only two schools established by the Evangelical Baptist Mission of Southern Haiti (MEBSH) have been identified. These are household centers that serve only the female population. Currently, there is no formal Literacy Center in the commune. In the same way, there is neither university nor higher school. Health In terms of health, the Ministry of Public Health is represented only recently by a communal office. For the institutions, a total of six health centers were inventoried with very limited staff. Utilities With regard to water potential, the Côtes-de-Fer commune has three rivers, 78 springs, six wells including four artesian, and 34 taps for service or domestic use. In the field of electricity, the town hall has an electric motor that supplies electricity to the city of Côtes-de-Fer. Security For the administrative and judicial infrastructures, it has a police station, a Court of Peace and a registry office. Culture Communication At the time of the inventory, the municipality did not have telephone service. The postal service exists but operates irregularly. A radio station provides the press service. Organizations Côtes-de-Fer is one of the Southeast municipalities with the largest number of organizations. Three political parties are represented in the zone. In addition, seven grassroots organizations, ten peasant groups and three women's groups have been inventoried within the commune. Leisure and Recreation In the field of leisure, there are no places of entertainment. The town, however, celebrates several patron saints at different places. The biggest project of this nature in the village is the network of sports complexes that have and will continue to be built in the Côtes-de-Fer area. The sports complex will contain an elevated platform for cultural events, team locker rooms, bleachers, recreation housing for children, and an enclosed wire fence. Within the past year, five newly-erected sports complexes have sprung up in Bainet Arrondissement, with another 20 currently in progress. These spaces will provide young people physical and social preparation for their adult lives.